Here’s a snapshot of news and activities from the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Heavy police presence
How tight is the security blanket for RNC events? It took nearly three hours for a credentialed Daily Herald photographer to get inside the convention complex that spans several blocks in downtown Milwaukee Monday.
And at the “Red, White and Blue” convention kickoff party Sunday held on the Summerfest grounds, mounted police patrolled the event.
The going joke was “they’re not horsing around,” Schaumburg delegate Joe Folisi said.
Rock star
Former state Sen. Darren Bailey, who ran against Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2022, was a main attraction at the Illinois delegation’s breakfast meeting Monday.
Delegates flocked to shake hands and get selfies with the colorful, conservative farmer from southern Illinois.
But it was his rival U.S. Rep. Mike Bost of Murphysboro who was the guest speaker at the event. Bailey unsuccessfully challenged Bost for his House seat in the March primary.
It was a no-holds-barred fight, but Bost gave his opponent props at the breakfast.
“We stand united,” Bost said. “We went through a primary season, right? And it was tough, right? But let me tell you something. Both I and that man right back there, Darren Bailey, we’re going to stand shoulder to shoulder in support of Donald Trump.”
No respect?
Where’s the Illinois delegation staying? At the swanky Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee?
Not exactly. Some of the contingent is housed at the Comfort Inn Suites near the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport about five miles south of downtown.
“We never get respect at any of the conventions we’re at because we’re not a swing state,” said Palatine delegate and former lieutenant governor candidate Aaron Del Mar.
“They always put us out in the middle of nowhere.”
But delegate Joe Folisi of Schaumburg remembered, “Twelve years ago it was way worse.”
The RNC “was in Tampa and it took two hours on the bus one night to get back to the hotel,” he said. “It was awful.”
VIP sightings
Two of Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, were walking over to the Florida delegation when they passed by Illinois delegate Richard Lawrence and stopped for a brief chat and handshake.
“They couldn’t have been nicer,” the former Aurora alderman said.
· Daily Herald staff writer Christopher Placek contributed to this story.